President Joe Biden calls his presidency the “honor of my lifetime” Monday as he delivers the keynote address in support of Kamala Harris during the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The convention runs through 22 August. Photo by David Banks/UPI.
After a 52-year career rising to the pinnacle of power, 81-year-old President Joe Biden delivered his valedictory address to the Democratic National Convention on Monday night. A visibly emotional President Biden received a hero’s welcome for the act of stepping aside for Harris and was greeted by a four-minute-long ovation and chants of “Thank you, Joe.”
“America, I love you,” he replied.
His heroic decision to end his re-election bid released newfound energy with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the 2024 POTUS candidate. Biden insisted he did not harbor any ill will towards anyone who eased him off the ticket and called on the Democratic Party to unite around Kamala. Accusing Donald Trump of “bowing down” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden said, “I never have and I promise you Kamala Harris will never do it. She’ll be a president we can all be proud of.”
President Biden acknowledged the protests outside the convention and inside the arena: “Those protesters out in the street have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” He reiterated his push to achieve a cease-fire deal that would release Israeli and American hostages held somewhere in Gaza.
Meanwhile the Republicans are heading in the opposite direction. Anthony Scaramucci, a senior former staffer to the 45th President stated that the Trump campaign has “imploded.” He speculated that Trump is annoyed due to public backlash to Project 2025 and his picking JD Vance as his running mate. Trump is angrily looking for a scapegoat and considering firing top advisors, Scaramucci suggested.
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Biden gets rousing ovation, gives Harris enthusiastic endorsement (voanews.com)
Donald Trump Suffering ‘Implosion’ Inside Campaign, Former Staffer Says – Newsweek
US Intelligence: Iran Behind Efforts to Infiltrate Trump, Harris Campaigns
The FBI has been investigating alleged Iranian cybercriminals such as these suspects for years.
The US intelligence community disclosed that Iran was behind a recent hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and efforts to infiltrate the presidential campaign of the Democratic Party. The confirmation came in a joint statement from the FBI, the ODNI, and CISA (see link below).
The agencies have warned during the election cycle that Iran was employing efforts to influence the presidential contest and “observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity” targeting the US public and the two presidential campaigns. The statement from the USIC did not elaborate on the activity, but said Iran and also Russia have employed similar tactics worldwide.
After the 13 July assassination attempt on him by a disaffected young white man in Butler, PA, Donald Trump wildly accused the Iranians of being behind it. He then accused the Iranians of leaking damaging information about JD Vance. Remarkably, Trump was correct about the cyber-espionage.
Iran has denied the allegations through its mission in the UN. In a statement to The New York Times: “The Iranian government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the US presidential election.”
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Joint ODNI, FBI, and CISA Statement on Iranian Election Influence Efforts — FBI
Ukraine Now Controls Over 1,250 Square Kilometers of Russia
Ukraine controls over 1,250 square km of Russian territory, including 92 settlements, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He advised his diplomatic team the military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region was to create a “buffer zone” to prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border. This was the first time he clearly stated the aim of the operation that began on 6 August.
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine captured the largest number of Russian prisoners in a single operation. This was also Ukraine’s most significant effort to free Ukrainians from Russian captivity. He previously acknowledged that captured Russians could be part of a future prisoner exchange.
Russian authorities say more than 121,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk region since the start of the incursion. 84 refugee centers were set up for the displaced Russians, including inside a sports facility.
Source:
Zelenskyy says Ukraine now controls over 1,250 square kilometres in Kursk region | Euronews
Former Republican Congressman George Santos Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Identity Theft
George Santos obnoxiously flashing a white power sign while casting a vote in Congress.
Former US Representative George Anthony Devolder Santos (36) pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting that he filed fraudulent FEC reports, embezzled funds from campaign donors, charged credit cards without authorization, stole identities, obtained unemployment benefits through fraud, and lied in reports to the House of Representatives.
“George Santos admitted that he did in fact lie, cheat, and steal his way to elected office,” said a senior FBI agent from the New York Field Office (NYFO).
During the 2022 election cycle, Santos and an accomplice devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). He then devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to steal the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign. Santos operated a limited liability company through which he defrauded prospective political supporters. Santos also applied for and received unemployment insurance benefits from NYS. Lastly, Santos made false statements to the US Clerk of the House of Representatives on his Financial Disclosure Statement.
Santos is scheduled to be sentenced on 7 Feb 2025 and faces a mandatory minimum of two years and a maximum of 22 years in prison. As part of the guilty plea, George Santos will pay restitution of $373,749.97 and must forfeit $205,002.97.
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IDF: Six Hostages’ Bodies Retrieved from Gaza Strip
Undated imagery of Shin Bet commandos in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF and the Shin Bet recovered the bodies of five hostages from the Khan Younis area of the Gaza Strip. Five of their deaths had already been announced by Israel, though Avraham Munder was thought to still be alive. The kidnappers previously claimed that Mr Popplewell died of wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike months ago.
The Hostage Families Forum said the recovery of the bodies had provided the families with “necessary closure”. They added the return of the remaining 109 hostages from Gaza “can only be achieved through a negotiated deal” and called on the Israeli government to “do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table”.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 originating from the Gaza Strip, during which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage. Since then, more than 40,173 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 500 murdered by settlers in the West Bank.
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Six hostages’ bodies retrieved, Israel’s military says (bbc.com)
More than 500 Palestinians killed in occupied West Bank: UN rights chief | UN News
North Korean Soldier Defects Across DMZ to South
North Korean soldiers look at South Korea across the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Defecting across the DMZ is dangerous as North Korean soldiers are ordered to shoot anyone attempting it. (AFP/Getty Images)
A North Korean soldier walked through the demilitarized zone, the second border crossing this month amid a loudspeaker propaganda campaign by Seoul. The South Korean military “conducted an operation to help him [safely] arrive in the South.”
The defection comes less than two weeks after another North Korean escaped across the neutral waters of the Han River. South Korea has been conducting steady propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts near the DMZ since mid-July, blasting K-pop songs and South Korean news and information across the border.
The broadcasts reportedly call for soldiers working in border areas to escape and include news of the defection of a North Korean diplomat from Cuba last year. South Korea’s military claims the speakers can be heard as far as 15 miles away. Direct defections have been historically rare, with most escapees crossing overland via the border with China. Defectors are granted citizenship and receive financial support and training after being vetted by South Korean intelligence agencies.
Over 34,000 North Koreans have fled to the South to escape dire economic conditions and the country’s brutally repressive regime. However, the number of arrivals has plummeted after Pyongyang sealed its borders and ramped up security in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 105 defectors arrived in South Korea over the first half of 2024, a slight uptick from 99 over the same period last year.
Tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula, with back-and-forth Cold War-style psychological warfare emerging along border areas in recent months.
North Korea has sent thousands of balloons carrying scrap paper, shredded clothing, and manure into the South since early June, including one that spilled trash on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s compound.
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North Korean soldier defects across DMZ to South: military, media – UPI.com
North Korean defects across neutral waters to South: military, media reports
Mediterranean Sea Temperature Reaches Record High
Colorful species like the Mediterranean parrotfish are endangered by global warming.
The Mediterranean Sea reached its highest temperature on record on Thursday, reaching 28.9 degrees Celsius, threatening marine life. During earlier heatwaves about 50 species including corals and mollusks were decimated.
Since the dawn of the industrial age, oceans have absorbed 90 percent of the excess heat produced by human activity. This excess heat continues to accumulate as greenhouse gases, mainly from burning oil, gas, and coal. Warmer oceans are also less capable of absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2), reinforcing the vicious cycle of global warming.
The overheating of the oceans is predicted to impact marine plant and animal life, including on the migration of certain species and the spread of invasive species. This could threaten fish stocks and thus undermine food security in certain parts of the globe. Warmer waters increase the likelihood of toxic algae blooms and oxygen-depleted “dead zones.”
In 2021, a massive fish die off in south-east Spain was blamed on hot weather.
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Coriolanus 